New Year’s resolutions have become pointless

How they’ve become another glorified part of American traditions

Natalie Baghdanian, Managing Editor & News Editor

It’s the first week of the new year and you head to the gym as part of your daily routine. What you weren’t expecting was the mass of new faces greeting you inside, every single machine or empty space taken. By February, the initial congestion is almost completely gone and you’re back to seeing only the gym regulars. What exactly is this phenomenon?

Currently, the concept of New Year’s resolutions stands as defined objectives that people make based on who they want to be and how they’d like next year to go. The problem is that the majority of people are making resolutions where the means are unrealistic, and thus, unattainable. 

According to the Baylor College of Medicine, 88% of New Year’s resolutions fail by the second week. Popular resolutions include exercising more, eating healthier, saving money, spending time with family, etc. These goals are too broad for people to feel like they are making headway, so they give up. It is impossible to quantify results, or even make a set plan, when people create resolutions like that.  

Many individuals are aware of their unsuccessful endeavors, yet they still choose to make new resolutions every year. Anticipating that the next year will have a better outcome without changing the approach is simply wishful thinking. 

At this point, it seems like the only reason people partake in the activity is because those around them are and they feel pressured to fit into society. The New York Post explains that 55% of people living in the U.S. actually see New Year’s resolutions as obsolete. In fact, they are only used to rationalize and condone bad habits. National Quitters Day, the second Friday in January, is a great example of this. 

Let me be clear, I am not a nihilist against dreaming or hoping for the future. What I am saying is that New Year’s resolutions are hardly productive and overall worthless. If someone is actually serious about making life-changing decisions, it should not be through silly traditions, but through careful consideration and groundwork.  

It doesn’t cost anything to dream

Why New Year’s resolution aren’t overrated

Justine Picard, Features Editor 

Here’s two choices. A: start the new year with no intention of change, keep the wheel of bad habits turning and count the days. Or B: challenge yourself, live deliberately and make the days count. Personally, I’d pick B.

By the time New Years comes around, everyone gets a bit giddy and writes down over-the-top goals for themselves, later realizing they bit off more than they could chew. This is usually where most people give up, if they can’t take the whole package they won’t even bother bargaining. 

However, your new year goals aren’t the problem, it’s the planning. 

Writing down clear intentions and setting a simple plan to follow through with your goals, you’re already done with 70% of the process. The other 30% of effort comes in building the habit.

James Clear, public figure and author of “Atomic Habits” says to start small, get one percent better each day, and by the end of the year you’ll be 37 times better than when you started. Progress isn’t linear, it’s exponential. When you learn to love the process, the results will come faster than anticipated.

Pew Research Center observed that adults with New Year’s resolutions, 59% kept all their goals, 28% kept some and only 13% dropped them all. This goes to show that keeping your goals is not impossible.

What you’re not changing you’re choosing. It would be great if we could all just write down what we wanted for the new year and, like a computer, show up with immediate results. Still, our drive to achieve our goals is a big part of what makes us us. In “Atomic Habits” Clear writes, “every action you take is a vote for the type of person you wish to become.” 

Each resolution should be tailored to your character. Don’t listen to the noise of the crowd, create your own voice instead. Don’t be swayed off course by the trendy accomplishments everyone is doing. Ask yourself what you really want, make a plan on how to get it and go for it. What do you have to lose?